There's Beauty in Change
by EveningCicada
Summary: Rizzo is left with a negative conscience after his neighbor, who has been nothing but kind to him, moves away. This is a collection of his thoughts and memories.
1. Chapter 1

PROLOGUE

I used to be angry. At the world, at the villagers, at myself.

I was so unsure of everything, and that's what caused my anger. I was so unsure of myself. I didn't trust who I was, or who I would turn out to be.

In a way, I was scared.

Scared of my own being.

Scared of everything. But would I admit that? No, because I was stubborn too.

But she changed that.

She changed everything.

She changed _me_.

That last part, about her changing me? Yeah.

That was the most important.

And today, it still is.


	2. Chapter 2

No one would ever call me the nicest villager, for sure. I couldn't care less at what they thought of me.

But maybe that's why I was so unfriendly.

But the girl? She used a different word. She used the word _misunderstood._

"_I think you're misunderstood," _she had said.

And you know what I did?

I said this:

"_Why in the world would I care what you think of me?"_

She didn't even flinch at my sudden shout. She didn't move. She just said, _"Well, the others don't understand you. But you know what? I do. I understand you."_

And I laughed.

That's right, I_ laughed._

I took her kind gesture and I threw it back in her face.

And I never stopped thinking about that. Ever. Sometimes I scream about it. How she went out of her way to show her respect for me, unlike any of the other animals, and I threw it away.

How disgusting could I be.

No, that wasn't a question.

Because I know how disgusting I can be.

It's sad, really.

Yet she stayed undaunted. One time she looked me straight in the eye and said, _"I don't know why you act like this. You don't have to, Rizzo. You don't have to be this way."_

But she said it calmly.

Quietly.

So I ignored her.

I walked away.

Eventually, she did too.


	3. Chapter 3

She was nothing but kind to me.

Even when no one else was.

Why was she so nice to me?

Of all people, me?

Why me?

Well, I never found out that part.

Another time, she invited me over.

"_Why don't you swing by my place and we can watch boxing? I know you like boxing."_

Boxing.

She even knew my favorite sport to watch.

When I told her no, she said, _"I'll make snacks."_

"_I don't care about your stupid snacks and boxing,"_ I had said.

Why did she proceed to talk to me, to invite me over, to keep offering to run an errand for me, even when I had clearly showed her I had no interest in her friendship?

Because she was the opposite of me.

If she were me, she would have given up already.

Actually, no.

If she were me, she wouldn't have even started in the first place.

And that's exactly why I have come to admire her after all these years.

Because she wasn't like me.

And she would never, ever be like me in the future.

Good.


	4. Chapter 4

One time, I saw her pulling weeds around my house.

"_What in the name of Nook are you doing?"_

"_Just helping you out with your weeds,"_ she said.

"_I'll pull my own weeds, kid."_

"_Oh, but I'm just helping out. I could leave them to you to do, but since I already started, I'd think that to be rude."_

Rude?

She was worried about being _rude._

She couldn't have been rude if she tried.

So you know what I did then?

You know what I said?

"_Don't touch the coconut palms on my side."_

What a disgrace I was.

Telling her not to touch the coconut palms?

When she went out in November to pick my weeds, donned in a hat and coat and all, just because she wanted to help me out?

She should've plucked all the coconuts on my side clean!

I mean, she deserved them!

No, she wasn't _interested _ in me.

And neither was I with her.

At least, not then.

She wasn't pushy, either.

She was simply kind to me.

Just kind.

And I threw that all away.


	5. Chapter 5

One cold day in January, I got sick.

You can imagine what she did then.

I was hacking and wheezing, coughing and sneezing everywhere.

Yet she still showed up at my door, medicine in hand.

"_Go away,"_ I said to her.

She came in.

"_It'll make you feel better, Rizzo. You look bad. Take it," _she instructed me, already pouring the proper dose.

"_It's contagious," _I had said. _"Don't come near me."_

Those words are the key words.

They showed I cared.

And that's exactly why my eyes bulged when I said them out loud.

I _didn't_ care.

At all.

You hear?

_At all._

But that's not even the best part.

By hearing those words, it only made her gush, _"Aw! You do care!"_ When I didn't.

So technically, it was almost a lie.

An excuse.

Mainly an excuse.

But it turned out to be more.

Oh, and about the "not caring" thing.

That was true back then.

I'm just not sure about now.


	6. Chapter 6

For my birthday, she sent me a letter.

_Hi, Rizzo! _it read.

It went into this whole paragraph about how much she wished I'd have a good birthday.

And how she'd like to treat me to cake with some of the other villagers.

So I had to go, if the others were going.

Not because I wanted to.

But because that knucklehead Bones showed up at my house and asked what time we should head over to her house.

You're asking me?

She's hosting the party! Ask her!

So I told him that.

And I figured out I had to be there by 5.

The cake was horrible.

Too much sugar.

But now?

Now I believe it's the greatest thing I've ever tasted.

Oh, and she included a present in the letter.

A Dracaena.

In other words, an expensive plant that's both a lucky _and_ spotlight item.

Why did I deserve that?

Oh, and did I tell you?

After I overcame my cold at the beginning of January, she got sick.

I told her not to come near.

And I did nothing.

I listened to her cough and wheeze whenever I passed her house, not ever checking up on her, or even looking over at her.


	7. Chapter 7

So you get the point.

It was almost a game.

She would do kind things for me, and I would throw it away.

I would throw her away.

Pretty simple, really.

But now, I don't think it to be fun anymore.

But was it ever fun?

Hm.

Ah, want to know one nice thing I did for her?

All right, then.

I saw her sobbing by the ocean one evening.

She was clutching a letter to her chest.

Her feet dangled to the sea below, gently scraping the surface of the water with her toes.

So, for once, I asked her what was wrong.

And she just looked at me.

Blankly.

So I bit my tongue, and forced myself not to crack a sarcastic joke or whatnot.

She finally spoke.

"_Rosie moved away,"_ was all she said.

Another tear slid down her cheek.

So you know what I did?

No, I didn't walk away.

Or say something nasty.

Instead I just sat down next to her, put my arm around her, and stared at the ocean in silence.

When she began to cry into my shirt, I gripped her tighter.


	8. Chapter 8

Sometimes that's all a person needs.

Someone to hold them.

Just hold them.

And for a short while, I gave that to her.

But I never did that again.

Ever.

Should I have given her that comfortable silence when she became sad again?

I didn't know.

But now, I think I do.

And I think I should have.

Maybe that's all I needed.

Maybe all I needed was someone to comfort me.

But even so, didn't she give that to me all along?

Of course she did.

And what did I do?

That's right.

I threw it away.

Why?

Remember how I told you I used to look at this all as a game?

Well, if it was a game...

who won?


	9. Chapter 9

One day, I saw her walking to the bus stop, boxes in hand.

"_What are you doing?" _I had asked.

"_I'm leaving Cape Cod."_

She was moving away.

"_Why?"_ I asked, suddenly panicking.

"_No one can stay in one place for so long, Rizzo,"_ she had told me. _"It's time for me to move on. It's time for me to see the world."_

"_Where will you go?"_

"_I was thinking of settling into the city."_

"_Oh."_

She began to lean on a box, waiting for the bus to come. She looked me straight in the eye.

"_Rizzo,"_ she said.

"_Yeah?"_

"_You don't know it, but you're a great friend. I am really happy I met you. You're my favorite part of Cape Cod. I'll never forget you."_

Then, without a word, she handed me a picture of herself. I just held it in my hands, speechless.

I knew then what I had to say.

"_Don't go."_

"_Oh, Rizzo, you can understand, can't you?"_

I nodded.

"_Thanks,"_ I said. _"For everything."_

She reached over and hugged me tightly.

She began to cry.

I did too.

"_There's beauty in change, Rizzo," _she told me.

Show me where.


	10. Chapter 10

What did she teach me?

She taught me to be kind.

She taught me to change.

She had to move on, though.

Because she's one of those people.

One of those people who travel to all places, touching the hearts of everyone she meets.

One of those hearts was mine.

She's one of those people who stay in one place for a short while, choosing to stay only because someone needs her.

I guess I was that someone.

Her someone for Cape Cod.

Oh, but they'll be other someones.

Other someones for other towns.

They'll be someones who will appreciate her work.

I appreciate her work, now that I have changed.

I just wish I saw the beauty in her work then.

Her picture hangs on the wall above my bed.

Sometimes I sit and I just think about her.

One time, I got up early to pull weeds in front of Clyde's house.

I know that she'd like me to do that.

Just like she did for me.

And you know what?

It felt good.

"_There's beauty in change, Rizzo."_

Yes, there is, and she's the entire beauty of it all.


End file.
